NEWS

Indianapolis, Ind. – U.S. Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today called on Senate leaders to do more to combat substance use disorders and the workforce shortage facing treatment providers in rural and underserved communities. Donnelly and Murkowski sent a letter asking for more resources to be dedicated to the addiction treatment workforce shortage and for the reauthorization and expansion of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) student loan repayment and forgiveness program to include addiction treatment facilities.

Donnelly and Murkowski said, in part in their letter to Senate leaders, “As you know our country is currently experiencing an opioid crisis…The epidemic has been particularly devastating in underserved areas that lack adequate treatment providers… In response to President Trump’s public health emergency declaration, we strongly encourage you to move quickly to reauthorize this program, increase its funding, and expand eligible treatment facilities to include addiction treatment as outlined in our bill the Strengthening the Addiction Treatment Workforce Act.…The President was right to declare the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency, but additional progress will require Congress to invest more inaddiction treatment and recovery efforts, especially in rural and underserved areas.”